A stop-start NASCAR night in Kansas City where a rain red flag, a run of cautions and a late restart decided the winner.
Held on May 9, 2015, at Kansas Speedway, this 267-lap race was the 11th of the 2015 season. Jimmie Johnson won his third race of the season, taking his 73rd career victory after a rain delay and late restarts, with Kevin Harvick second.
Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, staged the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 on May 9, 2015, a Sprint Cup race in NASCAR's top series. Jimmie Johnson won it after an evening broken up by heavy rain and a long run of cautions, holding off Kevin Harvick over the final restart. The victory was his third of the season and lifted him to third in the points standings.
Where was the 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 held?
The race was held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, a 2.4 km (1.5 mile) tri-oval that opened in 2001. The 267-lap event was the 11th race of the 2015 season, and the track hosts two NASCAR weekends each year.
The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation, and IndyCar raced there until 2011.
Ahead of the start, Harvick led Martin Truex Jr. by 40 points in the standings. in the standings. Johnson entered 52 points back after a runner-up finish at Talladega the week before, Joey Logano entered 59 back, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 75 back, having won at Talladega the week before.
A rain-stopped night in Kansas that ended with Jimmie Johnson holding off Kevin Harvick for his 73rd career win.
Who started on pole and how fast were they?
Joey Logano won the pole at 28.067 seconds, a speed of 309.633 km/h (192.397 mph), which was his twelfth career pole and the fourth of his 2015 season. The race itself had 44 cars entered, and Brendan Gaughan was one of the drivers who failed to qualify.
Logano said afterwards that the car drove perfectly and that he had swung for the fence. Kasey Kahne ran 308.851 km/h (191.911 mph) in qualifying, and Greg Biffle was the first Roush Fenway driver to get through to a final round that season.
Practice pointed in a few directions. Kevin Harvick was fastest in the first session at 28.306 seconds, or 307.018 km/h (190.772 mph). In final practice Erik Jones was quickest at 28.227 seconds, or 307.877 km/h (191.306 mph), and he called being fastest in practice an honour. He said he had prepared by watching video and talking with Kyle Busch.
Jones had stood in for Denny Hamlin during the Food City 500 at Bristol, yet Kansas marked his first official Sprint Cup start, in the No. 18 Toyota. Ty Dillon was back in a Cup car for the first time since the Daytona 500 earlier that year. Joey Gase came back to drive the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford, a car Bobby Labonte had used at Talladega the week before.
The entry list was released on Monday, May 4. Brett Moffitt was back in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, while David Ragan moved into the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.
How did the race unfold?
Logano got the field away under green. Early on, Alex Bowman dropped to 42nd with electrical problems. Jeb Burton spun on a left-front flat before the first caution, on lap 8, for a two-car crash on the backstretch and in turn 4. The lap 26 caution was a planned competition stop, and most front runners changed only two tires.
Kurt Busch took the lead on lap 31, and Harvick passed him on lap 51. Martin Truex Jr. took over on lap 58 and went on to lead 95 laps, a race high. Michael McDowell was tagged for speeding on pit road and served a drive-through penalty along the way.
Logano had been penalised earlier for his crew going over the wall too soon, which sent him to the back for the restart. Heavy rain then brought a red flag on lap 99, just before the scheduled restart, and racing resumed on lap 108.
When David Ragan spun in the grass on lap 118, Brad Keselowski stayed out rather than pit and inherited the lead. The fifth caution on lap 131 followed a multi-car wreck exiting turn 2, in which Tony Stewart was turned into the wall by Brett Moffitt while trying to avoid Matt Kenseth. Keselowski gave up the lead on lap 164 by pitting, and a sixth caution on lap 184 followed a single-car crash in turn 3.
The restart came with 77 laps to go, and the seventh caution followed when Erik Jones hit the wall in the tri-oval. Jones admitted he got loose off turn 4 and said the crash was his fault. A blown left-front tire sent Denny Hamlin into the turn 1 wall, and that crash produced the eighth caution with 60 laps to run. Hamlin said NASCAR took seven seconds too long to throw a caution.
The field went back to green with 55 laps to run, and Harvick retook the lead with 54 to go. A ninth caution came with twelve laps left, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. slammed the turn 2 wall. Johnson kept his car on the track under the late caution and took the front, while Paul Menard was penalised for an uncontrolled tire and sent to the back.
The final restart came with six laps to run, and Johnson held off a charging Harvick to take the win.
Why was the race halted by rain?
Rain soaked Kansas City, the red flag came out on lap 99, and lightning drove spotters, camera crews and the crowd to shelter. The stoppage lasted more than two hours, and racing resumed on lap 108 once conditions allowed. Spotters, cameras and fans were all kept under cover during the stoppage.
The rain did not end the cautions. Nine cautions covered 49 laps in total, and the race produced 16 lead changes among ten different drivers.
Who finished in the top five?
Jimmie Johnson won, Kevin Harvick finished second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third. Jeff Gordon took fourth and Joey Logano fifth, after leading 29 laps, while Martin Truex Jr. finished ninth. Johnson's win was his third of the season and his 73rd career victory.
| Finish | Driver | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Jimmie Johnson | 73rd career win and third of the season |
| Second | Kevin Harvick | Chased Johnson hard over the final restart |
| Third | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Podium finish |
| Fourth | Jeff Gordon | Power Move award for 8 positions gained |
| Fifth | Joey Logano | Pole sitter who led 29 laps |
| Ninth | Martin Truex Jr. | Led 95 laps, a race high |
What did the result mean for the standings?
Johnson climbed to third in the championship standings with the victory. It was his third win at Kansas Speedway and his sixth at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The race ran 3 hours, 11 minutes, 50 seconds at an average speed of 201.594 km/h (125.265 mph).
In the manufacturer table, Chevrolet exited Kansas 44 points clear of Ford. Truex finished ninth despite leading 95 laps. He stayed out for fuel only, and he lost ground at the restart as a result.
Gordon earned the Ingersoll Rand Power Move award for climbing 8 positions, and Truex was named Mobil 1 Driver of the Race with a 131.1 driver rating. Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus took the Moog Problem Solver award. The NASCAR Sprint Cup leader bonus had no winner, so it rolled over to the next event.
